Feel that Fire
by sawtheredneck
Summary: Tris is a colonel in the US military. She is a top notch fighter and has made her family with her fellow soldiers. Now, she is in charge of training the new recruits. She must make them top notch and the best soldiers they can be. See how Tris will take on her task and what she will have to do to make it happen. Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1

**Feel that Fire Chapter 1:**

**Tris\Six Pov:**

My fingers stretch themselves out of the numbness that has set in over the night. Bunks squeak through the walls, and the sound of showers hums through the pipes. I make my way to the showers and embrace the cold water as it numbs my aching muscles, left over from my workout yesterday. Everyone here, is here on choice, and no one complains of the roughness anymore. We could leave anytime we want to, but we don't. These fellow soldiers are our family. We give each other strength.

I step out of the shower and pat myself dry. I then slide into the military uniform for the officers\officials. On normal days, we would just put on the sweat pants and tank top for workouts; today is different. Today, we get new volunteers to make into soldiers, and I am to help them. I slide my feet into my boots, and lace them up. As I do this, I put another mark on my wall with my knife of the dresser. When I first got my own room, I started to mark the wall every morning I was still here for. I currently have 1,400 marks on my wall. 1,401 now that I add this morning's mark. I still have two more years here.

Someone pounds their fist against my door and I jump up and open the door.

"Good, you're awake. They are about to get off of the plane. We need to hurry." Kevin tells me. Kevin has military cut, short brown hair and blue eyes. An odd combination, but it suits him. I quickly nod and together we run to the aircraft.

We arrive just as they are all off the plane and in one big group. I quickly count up an even two dozen. I count a few girls in the mix and smile to myself. They are going to be the best; I'm going to make them the best.

"Attention!" I yell. My voice comes out strong and steady and they all immediately all turn to me. "My name colonel Tris Prior. You will call me Colonel Prior when you address me. Kevin is my first in command Lieutenant and will be overseeing your training as well. I will be training you on my break." I pause and look each of them in the eyes. "You are here because you chose to be. I will remind you that every time you complain. And you will complain. Follow me, I will show you to your dorms." I don't look back to see if they are following me. I walk back into the building and make a sharp left and turn into the last hallway. I lead them into a big room filled with twelve bunk beds.

"This is your dorm room. Showers are in the room the the right. You only get five minutes per shower. There will be no training today, only introduction. You have an hour before you will meet me in the conference room across the hallway. I will set the ground rules there." I walk out of the room with Kevin on my heels.

"You know, you could show some emotion when speaking. You sound like a robot." I laugh at his remark.

"They look promising."

"Yeah. They are all-were all members of a fighting club called Dauntless. There are like two hundred of these clubs roaming America, and they specialize in fighting and emotional strength."

"Good. Now I can yell at them." He laughs and shoves me playfully.

"Do you have a list of their names?"

"Yeah." He hands me a piece of paper of their names. I quickly scan the list and a few names jump out at me; Tobias Eaton, Zeke Petrad, Uriah Petrad, Christina Ridge, Shauna Temple, Lynn Temple, and Peter Hayes. Eaton...that sounds familiar.

"Hey, does the last name Eaton sound familiar to you?" I knits his eyebrows together.

"Yeah...wasn't he a Navy Seal? I think he died, I'm not sure how. Why do you ask?"

"Eaton is one of the last names on here. Maybe his son. It could be a completely different family though." He nods and we make our way to the cafeteria. I got a cup of coffee and muffin on my tray, and sat down across from Kevin, and in between some of my best friends. I was the only girl in my group, and I made sure that everyone knew to respect me. I wasn't weak when I came here, and I'm not anywhere near weak now.

"How do they look? Any shrimps?" Amar asks as soon as they sit down.

"Not at all. One or two might be able to kick your ass."

"That means they can kick your's too." He says quickly.

"They were certainly looking there." Kevin interjects.

"Ohhhh!" The table says in union.

"They aren't smart enough to even try."

"No, they have enough sense to even try. We all know you would kick their ass if they came in a five foot radius." I smirk and nod in agreement.

"Oh by the way," Amar starts. "I am going to be helping you with training as well."

"What happened to your assignment?"  
"It was canceled. Something about wrong data or something, I don't know."

"Oh I'm sorry." I say.

"Ehh, it's not a big deal."

"Well, want to come and help set them some ground rules? We have ten minutes before they have to be there."

"Sure." Amar, Kevin, and I all get up from the table and we make our way to the conference room. We are the first ones there. After a few minutes of joking around, they all start to come, one by one. The Petrad brothers come together,as we as the Temple sisters. I count twenty two at one minute till, and the last two come inside just as the clock hits nine.

"You will learn to be early. One more second you would have been late." The kid just shrugs.

"You will respect me, and everyone who is higher than you. You are at the lowest rank, and you will order no one around. You will disrespect no one. You will follow every order you are given. Do I make myself clear?" The two boys nod at me. They might be my targets for tomorrow's training.

"I am Lt. Sanders." Kevin states.

"And I am Lt. Bent." Amar says. "We will be training you along with Colonel Prior. Today we will just be setting some ground rules. First, There will be no disrupting anyone in higher command. There will be no disrupting training. There will be time for you to talk after training. Whatever you have to say can wait until later." Together, we all list off the ground rules. Anywhere from training starts at six Am, to meal times is covered.

**End Note:**

**Hello, and thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story! I know that everything in here might not be to the most accuracy, but I will try my hardest to make it as realistic as possible. There will be a lot of action to come in this story, and many more surprises to come! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and please let me know what you thought of it! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Four/Tobias Pov:**

**Chapter 2: First day of training:**

I woke up three times last night. The first was from a nightmare, and the next two were from gunfire. Who practices shooting at three in the morning? I know I'm not the only one they woke up, because I heard groans from the beds around me. When i finally woke up for good, i got up and put the clothes on, that they provided us. It consisted of boots, army pants, and an optional black tanktop. Colonel Prior had explained to us that we were to exercise in this to help us be more prepared for when we actually had to run away in these clothes.

_You chose to be here. _She said. We would be reminded of that each time we complained. _And you will complain. _Those lines send shivers down my back. The bunks squeak around me as well as stand up, and head over to the courtyard we were told to meet at. My legs still stung from numbness as I take my first few steps. I stumble on my first step.

"Need help _stiff_ legs?" Peter snarls behind me. I don't respond to him. The numbness has completely faded by the time I reach the courtyard. Colonel Prior and her Lt's are not here yet. A door slams to our right, and all of our heads turn to see Colonel Prior and her first command trailing behind her. He face looks annoyed, and his looks amused.

"Soldiers!" She shouts. "Run around the compound until I tell you to stop. No walking. Only running. Someone groans to my right and her eyes fly towards that person, but she makes no move to acknowledge him further. "Go!" he voice is stern and steady. I don't hesitate; I take off. My dad trained me on what I would be forced to go through when I got here, so I was prepared. I am soon infront of everyone. I push myself faster and I am eventually caught up to the end of the pack. Colonel Six is at the end and sees me coming. She raises her eyebrows at me but says nothing. Instead, she takes out her gun. She easily jogs up to the last in line, who happens to be Peter. He always relied on his strength, not his speed.

She presses her gun to the back of his head.

"Move! Wake up and move it!" She flips the safety off and Peter takes off. Colonel Prior lets him take off. She ends up jogging beside me easily, with my brisk pace.

"So Eaton," She begins. My attention is immediately turned to her. "Why did you join the military?"

"It's in my family. I always wanted to be a soldier since I was a little kid."

"You're lying." She states. "Yes, I know it's in your family, but you don't strike me as someone who has always wanted to be a soldier." Shit. How does she know? "I won't push you for the truth. I'm sure you will let it out when you're ready." Like I'll ever be ready.

"Thank you, colonel Prior." She inclines her head at me, and we continue running.

"Colonel Prior? Can I ask you something?"

"I believe you already are soldier."

"Why did you join the army."

"It's what I always dreamed of." She smiles slightly. A mix between an all knowing and remembering smile.

"You're...lying?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" She has a slight smirk planted on her face.

"A….statement."

"You're right, I am lying." With that she runs ahead of me, and leaves us to run a total of six laps around the compound. I am out of breath by the end of this, and everyone else looks like they are about to pass out.

"Alright! Get water, and head to the weight room." Lt Sanders commands. I inwardly groan. Everyone else gorans out loud and they are shot by a quick glare from Lt. Sanders.

After a muscle killing workout in the weight room, we are told to get our showers and head off to lunch. The water only lasts a few minutes, so I quickly scrub all of the dried sweat off of me, and quickly scrub my hair clean. Someone yells to my left in annoyance, saying that their water shut off, and they still had shampoo in their hair.

Lunch is held in a huge common area. There is a line to get the food, and the rest of the room is filled with tables. All rankings are here and joking around. Colonel Prior sits down at a huge table of just boys and they all whoop to something she says. She fist bumps Lt. Bent and laughs at something she says. I want to be like that someday. I want to be able to joke around, without fear that someone will find out my secret and judge me. She was correct; I am lying, and I have been since I first told someone what I was going to do when I grew up.

I first wanted to be an astronaut, then a hiking guide, and then a lawyer. My dad told me I was going to be a soldier, and there was no questioning him. He beat me when I showed rebelliousness towards him. I have never told anyone this, and I don't intend to.

I pick up my tray and the lunch for today. I end up sitting at an empty table, and i am soon joined by Zeke and Uriah. Then we are joined by Will, Christina, Marlene, Shauna, and Lynn. We all are from Chicago and we attended the Dauntless fighting club.

"My arms feel like noodles." Christina commented.

"My legs feel like they are burning." Will complained.

"Everyone feels like that." Zeke tells them. Uriah looks past me, and I end up turning to see what he's looking at. Colonel Prior is still sitting with the boys, with smile taking up her face. She looks right at home with them, and looking at her makes me realize something. That is her family; the people she came here with. She beat them _all. _I turn back to Uriah with the question on the tip of my tongue, but Zeke asks before I do.

"Why are you looking at Colonel Prior?"

"Look at her. She looks right at home. How can she look right at home in this place? I mean it's great and all, but what about her family?"

"I think," Marlene begins. "That the boys she's sitting with are her family. they are who she came here, and trained with. I know being in the military is in her blood, so I can see why she look right at home."

"Just think." I say. "That will be us someday."

"Someday." Christina says dreamily. Unlike me, Christina has always dreamed of joining the military.

**End Note:**

**Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think of it!**

_**CyrusBreeze**_

_**You have a really interesting idea, here. Just one thing, to be a colonel in the US military, you have to be in the service a minimum if 20/21 years.**_

_**~ I know, I thought about that before I started to write, but I still made Tris a colonel because it fit with my idea. Having a 30-40 year old Tris just seemed too old to have a romance between her and Tobias. Thank you so much for reviewing :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**Tris/Six Pov:**

After everyone eats, I lead them back to the conference room. Time to begin battle strategy teaching.

"Okay," I begin once everyone is seated. I am standing at the head of the room ,and to the left of the screen. The screen has a uniquely shaped building layout on it. For this strategy, the enemy is occupying the building, and we have to play offense and take the building over. "this is your first lesson on battle strategy. On the board is a building layout. For this, you have to take over the building and claim it. What do you do?"

Five hands shoot up in the air. "Anyone else?" Three more hands go up. "You don't have to be right, it's only your first lesson." Two uncertain hands go up; Marlene and Al. I nod towards Marlene.

"You need to have soldiers stationed outside each door."

"How many?"

"Five." Interesting number. "And you send Five in through each door."

"That is one way to do it. Petrad, what do you think?"

"Oh, you should have two snipers stationed outside each entranced and two soldiers on the roof, if possible. Then send three through each entrance to take over the building." I nod at him.

"That is another way to do it. Each way depends on how many soldiers you have to spread out." I swipe to the next blueprint on the screen with my hand. Again I ask what to do.

After a few more blueprints, I send a blueprint to the screen in front of them, so they can each come up with a plan on their own for me to look over later. A few of them get started right away, while the others look over the blueprint some more. Everyone is finished in a half hour. They will have to be faster next time. I dismiss them and send all of their plans to me.

"Hey, want to have a little fun?" Kevin asks me.

"If that fun involves you helping me look over these then sure."

"Fine, I'll help you. But afterwards, we go meet up with everyone else."

"Alright." I know I should probably decline, since I still have to train tomorrow, but today is the last day before some of them are sent off. Kevin sits down at the screen beside me and together, we write the pro's and con's of each plan. It takes almost an hour for us to finish.

"Come on!" Kevin yells at me as he grabs my wrist and runs towards a separate building to the right of us. Kevin walks in the door first, with his hand still on my wrist, pulling me behind him. Whistles erupt as I walk in and I jokingly take a bow. I fist bump a few of them, and hug the others.

We aren't allowed to drink here, so we have coke instead. Some of them pretend they are drunk after they drink some coke. This is my favorite part about being on break; after training, I get to spend time with the family I made here.

"Hey Tris!" Edward yells out.

"Hey! Are you being sent out?" I inquire.

"Yeah. Afghanistan tomorrow."

"I wish you the best of luck. Come back to us? It might get a little crazy without you." I say with a smile.

"It's already crazy." He looks past me towards two guys that are acting really drunk. I laugh and give him a hug. We don't say sad goodbye's because we know that we will be back. No one believes that they will die. I have discovered that if you have that strong determination to stay alive, there's a good chance you will. There's a reason i have three bullet wounds. One in my stomach, (That is the one I still wonder how I survived.) and two in my upper right arm.

After spending an hour with them, my watch beeps with a message. I look down and see it's form Max. _Come to my office immediately. _I let Kevin and Amar know I'm leaving, and I head to Max's office. Max is the General of the Army, and runs this entire place. He is also a close friend of my dad's. I open the door hesitantly and slowly walk inside.

"Sit." Max commands me. I sit in the chair in front of his desk. "I don't know how to say this. I am personally at loss for words at the moment….so I printed it out. you might want to read it in your room where there there are no cameras." I look suspiciously at the envelope, and take it with a shaking hand. "I'm sorry." He says before I leave his office.

I walk towards my room and open it along the way. Fortunately, I am in my room when I read it. _I am sorry to inform you that Major General Andrew Prior has past away. _What? I re read the letter again. It takes me a few minutes to process what I just read, and when I do, I let out a blood boiling scream and throw my chair against the wall. I joined the army because I wanted to honor my mom's passing and now my dad is dead too?! Tears start to stream down my face, and i know I have to get out of here for a awhile. I crumble the piece of paper and open my door. A group of people are coming down the hallway, but I don't care. I slam my door behind me and take off down the hallway.

I run past the group of people and through the doorway. I run off the paved blacktop and to the forest in the distance. I feel my breathing get jagged as i pass the eight mile marker, but I don't care. I keep running towards the trees. I need to be near something of my real home. _Home._ I wonder is Caleb is getting the same news right now. I wonder how he is taking it. He probably hasn't see it yet. He is probably going home to his wife Susan.

_Susan. _I wonder if she knows. I reach the tree line and quickly climb a tall tree. I reach the breaking of the leaves and scream again. I don't care if I wake anyone up. I don't care if I send the compound on alert.

_My dad is dead._

**End Note:**

**Hello! Thank you for reading this chapter! Please let me know what you thought of it! I will have an update on one of my next chapter to let yall know when I am going to update this because school starts in like two weeks for me. Anyways, I hope yall have a great day today :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**Four/Tobias Pov:**

Battle strategy was simple. I know the class is starting off easy and will get harder as it goes on, but man that assignment was easy. It was a blueprint of a unique shaped building, and Uriah basically gave us the exact answer we needed. We were dismissed to do whatever we wanted after that, so Uriah, Zeke, Shauna, Marlene, Lynn, WIll, Christina, and I decided we all wanted to eat. We all head back over to the cafeteria, and grab our trays. I thank the people giving us our food and sit down in the same spot I did a few hours ago.

"Thanks for the answer bro." Zeke fish bumps Uriah and laughs.

"That assignment was too easy!" Marlene exclaims. I nod in agreement. Marlene looks over my shoulder.

"You know, I wonder how they looked when they were in our position." I turn around and see some soldiers whooping and laughing.

"Probably the same we do."

"Just without Colonel Prior at their necks."

"No she would have been with them." Uriah says. "I think they were some of the same guys sitting with her at lunch." Now that he says it, I see that they are part of that same group we saw at lunch. We make small talk over the rest of our dinner, and decide to explore the compound until curfew. We start from the cafeteria and take a right. Different door are on either side of us, and a hallway on the right side, splits the doors evenly on either side. I guess these are personal dorm rooms. All of the sudden we hear a blood boiling scream that makes my hair stand on edge. A crash quickly follows and a door opens. Colonel Prior shoots out and runs down the hallway at top speed. She slammed her door behind her, but it opened back up.

Inside I can see a bed, desk, and a few possessions lying around. The interesting thing is the marks above her bed; there must be hundreds.

"Hey guys," Uriah is holding a crumpled piece of paper Colonel Prior must have dropped. "Her dad is dead." What?

"What's his name?" It's a stupid thing for me to ask, because I already know. Everything suddenly clicks together. _Andrew Prior. _He, his wife, Caleb, and Tris used to come over for dinners hosted by my dad. Andrew is..._was _higher up than my dad so they always came over to our house. I never talked to Caleb or Tris, but I always admired their love for their parents. Something I have never felt. My mom died from giving birth to _me. _I have never had a true parent who was nice.

"His name is Andrew Prior." Uriah says. "I remember him getting on the news for joining the military when I was a kid. I remember Colonel Prior there too a few years back."

**Tris/Six Pov:**

My hand drifts to the tattoo on my wrist. This tattoo is one of many. On my wrist it has the words,

_Open your eyes _

_and see what you can _

_before they close forever._

This was my second tattoo, my first tattoo is on my collar bone. I have three ravens flying towards my heart. One for each member of my family. My wrist represents my motivation. That quote is something that inspires me to do my best and explore whenever I can. I have to say though, having my father die was no where close to being on my bucket list. I don't even want to know how my mom is taking it right now. _If she was still alive._ It would probably the hardest for her. Though it is by no means easy for me or Caleb. I can see my mother standing in the kitchen and dropping the envelope from shock. I can see the dinner on the stove start to burn and she make her way slowly to the couch, clutching a photo, slowly letting the tears fall. The spots of water dropping onto the photo. My heart hurts, I let myself think about her too long.

The sun is setting and an array of colors spread across the sky. It shouldn't be this beautiful on a night like this; on a night of anger and sorrow. It should be dark, rainy, and gloomy.

It's a long way back to the compound, but I know if I don't start walking now, I might just stay here until someone finds me. What a reputation I'll have then. I slowly swing my legs over the branch and climb down the tree. When I land on my feet, I sway a little bit, and I realize how hard I pushed myself to get here. It's going to be a _long _walk back.

It takes awhile before I reach the ten mile marker. I don't think that the builder of this trail thought anyone would run past the ten mile marker. _Think again buddy. _As I continue to walk back, I think I want to get another tattoo. Something to represent my dad.

Mile 7. 6. I see the distant lights ahead. 5. 4. Someone is outside. 3. 2. I hear a distant yell, but the words are a blur. 1. .5.

"Colonel Prior!" The voice yells. The voice is Kevin.

"Lieutenant Sanders!" He spins around towards me. "You are going to wake up the whole compound with all that screaming." He sighs with relief and hugs me.

"I'm so sorry about your dad. He was a great man. He was like family to me." I hug him back. We have known each other since we were children.

"I know." He pulls back and looks at me.

"We all thought you abandoned us. That you would come back and want to leave early."

"You know I wouldn't do that. It's now more than ever that I want to fight. I want my break to be over. This freaking training." I say the last part a little bitterly.

"We can talk to Max." Kevin suggests.

"You know he wouldn't." I sigh. "Only three weeks." He swings his arm around my shoulder and we walk towards the entrance.

"We can do this. You, me, and Amar. Just like old times." I laugh.

"Thank you."

"What are friends for?" At this, we break out in grins, my loss pushed back in my head for a few seconds.

**Endnote:**

**Hello! thank you so much for reading this chapter, and please let me know on what you thought of it.**

**Thank you Guest May 29! I don't know what i was thinking when I was writing that part like she was still there. Thank you for pointing that out for me, i really appreciate it! And thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!**

**So, I start school in about a week, and that is going to take up a lot of my time, so I will only be uploading on weekends for now on. I apologize for that being infrequent, but when you take all honors and German, it's not a light workload. I hope you understand :)**

**Thank you so much for reviewing this story! It makes me so happy to see that yall like this! I hope yall have a great day! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**Four/Tobais Pov:**

"_Tobias, please sit down. We need to talk." My father says. This can't be good. I do as he says, because he's my dad. He is sitting at the head of the table and I am sitting at the other end. Far enough away so he can't touch me. I don't know why I sat so far away from him. He has never wronged me before. I think it was his tone. I knew something was off._

"_What do you want to do when you grow up?" He still has the same tone. Curious, but disappointed like he already knew my answer is what he wanted. Some sternness is in there too. _

"_I'm not sure. I kind of want to go into the computer field." I say carefully. Wrong move. His eyes hardened._

"_What about the military field?" His voice comes out slow, steady, and commanding._

"_Can't I work on computers there?" Another wrong move._

"_No, I am talking about actual military. To train and become a soldier, or marine, or anything in the army." There are still computer people there, I huff to myself._

"_It has never crossed my mind to join the military."_

"_Well now it has. Your training starts tomorrow at 6am. If you are not up and ready by then, there will be consequences." That was it, no questions. I had to join the military. Even though I knew people that served in the military I never asked them about their experience. It seemed all too fresh in their minds, even a few years down the road. You never get over killing someone. Even if it is the enemy who will do unspeakable things to you if you don't shoot them, you never get over it. _

_I wish I could say I listened to my dad about waking up at 6am, but I forgot to set my alarm to then. I woke up that morning to my door being roughly swung open by my dad._

"_I told you 6 am!" He bellows. "It is 6:30. Get up." There was no questioning his command. I got up and he took his belt off. I didn't have a shirt on, because I don't sleep with one on. The belt buckle hit my skin with no resistance. Like gravity wanted me to get hit. My back arched after the first hit and i screamed out in pain._

"_Scream all you want. We live in the country. No one can hear you." My dad had this evil glint in his eyes and sneer in his voice. With each hit, my screams got louder and louder. No one was there to save me. No one._

I wake up gasping for breath.

"Oh look, the stiff is awake. Did you have a nightmare?" Someone says in a baby voice. Peter. I feel a hand go on my arm in warning. Christina. Peter leaves a few minutes later, and I quickly change into the workout uniform. Christina, Will, Zeke, Shauna, Lynn, Marlene, Uriah, and I head over the the blacktop, without breakfast. We would just have it come back up anyways, so we will just catch lunch after our workout. Most everyone is there, including Colonel Prior, who looks the same as always. But, you can tell something is missing, something that cannot be replaced.

"Four miles. Two miles there, and two miles back. No walking. Go!" Her voice is stern, with a hint of loss in there. It's obvious that she has dealt with a loss before, and all of the sorrow she felt has turned to anger. No one argues with her and we all start to run towards the two mile marker. Colonel Prior takes up the rear. I stay in the middle of the pack, so I will not tire myself getting there, and will have some energy to slow jog that last mile. I think four miles is a bit too much. I don't think anyone can blame her for giving is four miles though. It could be a whole lot worse.

I keep pace with Zeke and Uriah. Peter is behind up grumbling about too much running. It won't be too much if we are forced to retreat. We will be running for our lives with guns pointed at our backs, with no way to tell if you are going to get hit or not. Or if your hit is fatal or not.

I finish the four miles out of breath. I was barely able to slow jog that last half mile.

"No sitting down. That can inflict an injury on yourself. cool down as we walk to the fitness room." Colonel Prior commands us. I force myself to start walking there, each step more tiring than the last. If the four miles was all flat ground, I wouldn't be like this. But most of it was uphill.

My arms are screaming in soreness after the fitness room. She increased all of our weights. My hands are shaking when I grab my tray, and everyone else looks the same, if not worse.

It is when I sit down, that it clicks. She didn't turn all of her sorrow to anger. The sadness is still there. She is pushing us harder because she want to go back out and fight. She wants her break to be over. She wants us to graduate sooner.

I stab my food with my fork. It's not fair to push us this hard just because she wants to go back out. It's also not fair of us to complain. She just lost her dad.

"It's like she turned to steel. She has a mission to accomplish, and she is pushing us harder so we are done training sooner." Uriah grumbles. It's like he knew was I was thinking.

"Can you really blame her? He dad just died, and I'm pretty sure she wants to hunt his killer down." Marlene says.

"Except that's not her job." I interject. "She wants to go back out and fight. And think that she is killing his killer."

"Gruesome." Christina says.

"I guess that is how she deals with her pain." Zeke says. We all nod in agreement. I finish my lunch a few minutes later and head over to the conference room to what I know will be a lot harder lesson than yesterday's.

**Endnote:**

**Hello! Thank you so much for reading that chapter, I hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think. **

**Just as a reminder, I will only be updating my stories on weekends now, because school starts this coming Tuesday for me. And do not be alarmed if I don't upload one weekend, I don't have easy classes.**

**Anyways….**

_**Mariah Laber**_

_**I loved this chapter, please update soon. I was just wondering because I forget, but where is this taking place at?**_

**~This is taking place at a US Military base camp. Obviously what I write is not the same as what happens there, but political issues are. **

**Thank you Guest May 29! I don't know what I was thinking when I was writing that part like she was still there. Thank you for pointing that out for me, I really appreciate it! And thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!**

**I hope yall have a great day! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Tris/Six Pov:**

Maybe I am pushing them to far. Maybe I am at their breaking point, and they can't get any better. Maybe I already broke them. Or, maybe not. I do the same workouts as them. Exact same machines and same weights, and even I feel tired after it. Yeah, I'm pushing them harder than they need to be.

Kevin and Amar are supportive, but even they can't deny the muscle soreness after the weight room. I'm pushing them too hard. Everyone has today off. Conveniently, I am called by Max for a meeting. I knock on his door and wait for his, "Come in." His office has papers sprawled around it. Maps line his walls and paper work covers his desk. The only hole in it is a place for his computer.

"Hello Colonel Prior. Please have a seat." I do as told and move some papers aside so I can sit on the dark colored leather seat. "I wanted to talk to you about the soldiers you are currently training. I understand that you are pushing them hard?"

"Yes, sir."

"Harder than planned?"

"Yes, sir."

"I understand then you wish to back into combat, but pushing the soldiers harder won't make it go by quickly. They still have so much to learn. Months of things to comprehend. You should have consulted me before getting off track on their training."

"Yes. sir. It won't happen again sir."

"I sure hope not. Do you know the story of Louis Zamperini?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes of course. You know the struggles he went through and the hard, hard times he faced. And in the middle of the ocean, starving and thirsty beyond belief, he and the two other survivors were found by a Japanese airship. The airship shot at him. Of course, he survived, though facing more hardships any of us would ever have in a lifetime." I nod in understanding. "My point is, that Zamperini, though a reckless child, still followed his orders. You, I know, were never a reckless child. I don't need you bringing out your recklessness over this. Over anything to do with the military actually. When your years are up, and no longer are here, then you can do whatever you want. But, now, follow your orders. Stay on track." I gulp.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You are dismissed." I leave without another word. There are no questions to his orders. I have made a mistake, I should have never trained them harder. What if I was one of them? How would I feel. I feel the guilt rush up inside of me and I almost gasp at its intensity. I have kept it down for so long. _Now is not the time to come back. _I think to myself.

Somehow, I make it back to my room and sit down on my bed. I've messed up. But I can't apologize and tell them that; they won't respect me after that, the won't trust me.

_Like they even trust you in the first 're just scared of you. _

**But I won't hurt them.**

_You already have. _

**I need to apologize.**

_NO. You can't. They will then know that you are weak. And you can't let them see._

**You're right.**

That is my last thought, before I drift off to sleep.

_I am running. My legs don't hurt, and I don't need to gasp for breath. The grass tickles my feet as I keep on. I don't know where I'm going. It seems like I'm going nowhere, but everywhere at once. The scenes are constantly changing around me, and it is impossible to have them change that fast from just running. This is a dream. I recognize some of the scenes, like my old house, Bogan Park, Cracker Barrel, but some of them look foreign to me. I urge myself to stop, but my feet refuse to listen and keep on running. _

_A grey building appears in the road in front of me, and something looks missing. It looks like a regular house, with the roof and walkway. Then I see it; there is no door, and my legs continue to run. I scream at my legs to stop, but they won't. My arms won't move, and my voice does nothing to help either. I am powerless. I can't even shut my eyes before I run straight into the wall._

_There is no impact. I went through the wall, and what I see shocks me. As I stop running, and come to a stand still, I see my family. My dad stands there with his arm around my mom's waist and Caleb stand there, near their side. They smile when they see me, and I start to walk over to the, but am stopped by five bodyguards. I try to wrench free of their grasp, but that are so much stronger than I am in the dream, and there are five. Five! I must be dangerous._

_They drag me to a table in front of my parents and let go. I am handed something, and I see it's a gun. wHAT? I look at my parents and Caleb, and they all share the same look of understanding. Like they know what I have to do, before I do. I will not shoot them. Something is pressed up against my skull. A gun._

"_Shoot them." The lady commands me. Like I would ever do that. If there is one thing that I know from the thousands of lectures I have received, that you should be willing to sacrifice yourself for the better of others. It took me so long to fully get that lesson engraved in my mind, and at this moment, this moment that feels so real, I am grateful._

_They will not die._

"_No." I tell her._

"_Do it!" She commands. "10. 9. 8." My parents nod at me and Caleb says that he will always love me. "7. 6. 5." They tell me to go ahead and shoot them. But I can't; I won't. "4. 3. 2." I hear the bullet click into place. "1." And the blackness takes over my vision._

I wake up screaming. Great, I just woke up everyone in this wing. I take a shaky breath and get up to leave my room. I walk down the empty hallways and outside. I'm not going down the trail today, only to the tree line of the west side. I make my way there in five minutes flat and find that someone had the same idea.

As I get closer, I notice that their posture and awareness is not like a ranking military officials; this is one of my trainees. I get closer and notice his short brown hair and the peak of a tattoo peeking out of the collar of his shirt. I'm ten yards away, and I find that all I want to do is get closer. I'm five yards away.

"Four?" He turns around to face me.

**Endnote:  
Hello! It has been awhile. I am so sorry for not posting in forever, but I have been far busier than I thought I was going to be. For those of you who don't know, I am 14 and a current Freshman in high school, and I started school three weeks ago. I am taking all honors, Geometry, and German, so I have a crap ton of work everyday. (Except today because I had a math test and started two projects that are due next month.) So I have honestly not had like anytime for free time, and the time I do have, is spent sleeping. So enough with my lame excuses.**

**How have yall been? When do you start school/have you already started? **

**Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter and I will try to update soon!**

**Thank you so much!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Four/Tobias Pov:**

The nightmares are returning. First it was watching my mom die over and over again. Then is slowly they got worse. The latest was of my dad.

_My eyes open as I sit up. Except there's not enough room to sit up. I am cramped inside a small little closet with my back aching from my most recent beating. This isn't how life is supposed to be, especially for a twelve year old. Glass shatters from downstairs and my body freezes. He can't be mad again. It's too soon. A voice screams at me to hide. Where where can i hide? I'm stuck inside of a locked closet until I'm rescued by my personal antagonist. _

_Footsteps thunder up the stairs. Another bottle crashes. He yells my name. I don't respond. This can't be happening. Where are the concerned neighbor's? Where are the nice people walking on the sidewalk that come and ask if we're okay? He reaches the closet door and hastily opens it up. Suddenly my body changes. I'm no longer a strong twelve year old, I grow to my eighteen year old muscular body. Not this day._

"_YOU DIDN'T APPLY?" Marcus screeches. No, I didn't. I don't want to join the military. I'm not like you. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SON." He continues. He slides his belt off in one swift motion. "Maybe this will teach you a lesson." The sharp whip of the belt sounds in the air and lands on my back a split second later. Pain erupts through my body and I fight with everything I have to not cry out._

_The next whip sounds, and the metal part lands on my back. This time I can't hold it in. I scream._

I almost fall off the branch I am sitting on. I came here an hour or two ago to get away from everyone. Sometimes the company is nice, but sometime it just annoys me. It's peaceful out here. There is no constant gun shooting or grunting from the fights. No gasping for breath after a long run. There's only the birds chirping and the hum of the wind.

"Four?" The familiar voice startles me. It's not the same stern voice that yells at us to push harder. It's quieter and more vulnerable if you will. I turn around to face Colonel Prior.

"Four?" I ask. A small smile spreads across her lips.

"You seem to close off more and more whenever someone says your real name. And you did a mile in four minutes the first day." She walks over and sits on the branch across from me.

"How come everyone calls you Six?" Lately, I notice a lot of the guys she sits with yell out Six whenever they want her to come over.

"Beat Six guys my second week here. Obviously I trained before I came here." I nod in understanding. "How come you're out here? Shouldn't you be having fun with your friends?" She sounds curious, but not wanting to pry too much. For some reason I want to tell her the truth, and if I start to tell her, I'm not going to be able to stop myself from telling the whole thing.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Me too." She smiles sadly. My head shoots up. She has nightmares?

"You have nightmares?" She nods.

"No one is invincible. No matter what they say or what they seem like, they have a weakness." She smiles sadly. "I used to think, when I was younger that everyone in the military was fearless, and that I would be the only one who's not. I learned that I was so very wrong on my first week here. Everyone had a breakdown the first week."

"Are we training again tomorrow?" She looks over at me.

"In a different way. We're starting war games." My eyes widen.

"Full out war games?"

"Not yet, but we'll get there." She looks me in the eyes. A fire seems to spark when she smiles, like nothing else matters.

"Do you remember asking me why I joined the military?"

"Of course." She answers.

"Do you still want to know?"

"Only If you want to tell me." And suddenly I do. I want to tell someone I don't know outside of training about my whole life.

"I joined because of my dad." She knits her eyebrows but doesn't ask me to explain more.

"Somehow, I feel like there's more to that." There is. "But, I'm not going to make you tell me. To answer your question, I joined to honor my mom's passing." She lost her mom and dad?

"I'm sorry for your loss." She nods sadly at me.

**Anonymous Pov:**

"We will attack on November 9th." I say.

"Why the 9th?" The man to my right asks.

"Because the group will just be getting back. They will not be ready to fight again, and that is when the base is at their weakest." My boss nods approvingly at me. This is my first true test, and I can't fail. If I fail, I will have to watch my whole family die, and I can't let them die from my mistake.

**Endnote:**

**Hello! I hope yall enjoyed this chapter! After the next 3-4 chapters, things will start happening. Since we are at a military base, there can't be obvious Fourtris, so this story about them will be a little different :)**

**Anyways….What are yall reading at the moment?**

**~I am currently in a reader's block and I'm trying to read something that sticks. I started Eon, I am the Messenger, and re-reading The Mark of Athena.**

**Please let me know what you think is going to happen! :)**

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Tris/Six Pov:**

War games. We decided to mix it up a bit and throw in so experienced soldiers in the mix. Two soldiers will be joining each of the three groups. I volunteered as the commander of group one which includes, Zeke Petrad, Uriah Petrad, Lynn Marvels, Tobias Eaton, Christina Wells, Jimmy Galls, and Noah Wright. Jimmy and Noah are friends of mine.

We strap on our vests that light up when we are hit with a pellet. When they light up, that means we are dead and can no longer fight. An ambulance will come by and pick us up. If one team is fully dead, then they are out of the game. You win by capturing the other team's bases. We have one hour to come up with our strategy. We are currently in a small plane which we will jump out of when we reach our battle field, which happens to be an abandoned amusement park.

"We need to pick a base. I know we got the right side, but where will we all meet up?" Zeke asks. Everyone looks at me. I lean forward.

"Yall come up with the plan. My job to oversee what you're doing and put minimal input." Jimmy shoves me playfully.

"Like you've always done that." I shrug and smirk.

"Make a plan and I'll tell you what I think." I prop my feet up on an empty chair and wait for them to start planning.

"I say that we can use this small building behind the trees for the hideout. Then we need two people to go scout out for the other team's bases. If they're smart, they won't be in the open."

"Who will go?" Uriah asks. I raise my hand along with Four. Scouting isn't that bad. I actually really enjoy it. "Okay, Four and Colonel Prior."

"Just call me Six during this. I don't want you getting shot because you had to pause and say my name." I say with a straight face which makes Noah and Jimmy remember last year's war game. Yeah, that happened. Christina and Lynn see that I'm serious and start laughing too.

"Okay, Six, will do." Four says. "We need four other people to join us when we come back and have the information ready. Two will stay at base." Zeke, Noah, Lynn, and Uriah volunteer to go and that leaves Jimmy and Christina at base. Four looks at me for approval.

"Okay, I like it. One thing, Jimmy and Christina, you two need to hide at a vantage point so you can shoot anyone that comes near without them seeing you. Everyone watch out for the ambulance, if they see you, they can tell another team.

"Also try and listen to what they're saying, they might have some information of the other teams. Zeke, Noah, Lynn, Uriah, and Four, do not attack out in front unless absolutely necessary. Stay hidden and pick them off one by one. Secrecy is key in this game. Always keep your head sets on and whisper when you talk in them. You never know who's around you, plus the mic picks up sound very well. If you die, do not under any circumstance tell them about our plan. You are dead, and can't talk. Got it?"

"That was more than one thing." Noah says with a smirk. I roll my eyes and see everyone nod at the plan. I get a beep in my ear peace. They are set up with our group and we are ready to jump. What my group doesn't know, is that ever since that beep, they will record what we say. I strap on my parachute and go to the edge of the plane. I look back at everyone.

"Ready?" They all nod, though for those who have never done this before, nod reluctantly. I back up and get a running start. I run to the edge and leap into nothingness. The world freezes around me and I feel like I'm falling in slow motion. I don't see any other planes in the sky. They other teams either haven't got here yet, or have been here awhile and just saw up jump. I'm hoping for the first one.

I pull the string on my parachute and it expands to its full capacity. I land on the ground first and unhook myself from the parachute. Everyone lands a few seconds from each other and I help them get out of theirs. We hide the parachutes in our base, behind the counter and in the cabinets. We are all in the little building, waiting for me to tell them to start on their jobs. I close the last cabinet and look at all of them. I speak up.

"Let the games begin." My voice echoes in the ear piece and in the air. The order has been given.

**Endnote:  
Hello! I wanted to take a moment and honor all of the families that were affected by 9/11. I know people who were affected by it, and if you do to, please take a moment of silence for them. We will never forget 9/11.**

**Thank you for reading this chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you thought of it :) I am so sorry for not updating, but school has been taking up so much time. I will try to write more soon!**

**For those of you in the south, I am right here with you. Fall needs to get here, like NOW.**

**So yesterday in PE we did the weight room and walking lunges, and when I woke up this morning, my legs hurt so, so bad. Then I had to do the mile today, and my legs felt like legit noodles after I finished that. *sigh***

**Anyways, I hope yall have a great day today! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Tris/Six Pov:**

After six long months, I am finally done training the recruits. After so many war games, and so many miles ran, it is done. Max attended the training hours for the past two weeks and deemed them ready to be sent out. Today is the last day before many of us are getting on a plane. I, along with some recruits and many of my friends are being sent out to Iraq tomorrow morning. We are going to be the American re-reinforcements for the Isis crisis.

There is one thing I have to do before I leave though, I want to see it in case it might be my last time. I don't think I'll die, but you never know when you are a soldier. You must always prepare for the worst. The sun is setting to my right, and I can tell many people are doing last minute packing. I already have my things ready to go. I make my way over to the trees and sit on one of the low branches. Red flashes appear on the sky followed by oranges and yellows. Five minutes later, the sky is only a haze of redness. It' funny how quickly the world can change. One minute you could be fighting on the front line, and the next minute you could be sitting by the beach waiting for the waves to start calming down so you can go surfing. Surfing. That could be something I never get to try.

"Stop depressing yourself Tris." I tell myself. Someone chuckles behind me. "You should really tell someone you're behind them and not just stand there like a stalker."

"Sorry." Tobias says. "How were you depressing yourself?"

"Surfing."

"Surfing?" He inquires, not sure if he heard me right.

"Yes, surfing." I confirm. "I've never tried it, and i might not have a chance to- wait I really shouldn't be saying this stuff to you. It's your first time, you must be nervous." He walks over to the branch across from me and sits down.

"I'm not as nervous as someone might expect. You sound nervous though, and this isn't your first time."

"Yeah, I always do this to myself. I love my job. I love being here. But I do miss the outside world, and all of the things I never took advantage of while I should have." He nods in understanding.

"Don't dwell on the past. Just think of what amazing things your future holds." He says after a minute.

"Since when do you give orders?" I say with amusement in my voice.

"Since I became friends with my commander." I smile at this.

"Friends?" I say, wanting to see if i heard him right.

"Friends." He confirms. "Where are you going to go when you get out of here? Like after you're done with your service."

"I'm not sure. I'll visit my brother of course, but I don't think I want to move back to Chicago. Maybe North Carolina or Georgia. I know it's early to ask ,but what about you?"

"I don't know. I don't want to go back to Chicago, but that's all I've decided." I nod and look up at the now darkening sky.

"We should head back. I don't think we need to be seen half asleep tomorrow morning." I nods in agreement. I slide off of my branch and start walking back towards the compound. Four and I keep an easy pace with each other. We split up as we walk in and I quickly find my room. I change into my pajamas and climb into bed. As the lights turn off, I find myself thinking about a boy with dark blue eyes.

**Tobias/Four Pov:**

Despite of what I said last night, I found myself made up of nervousness this morning. When _she _walked in for breakfast a few minutes ago I found my chest contracting and swelling in anxiousness. Maybe she would sit with me. We are friends after all.

What the hell Four? She's a colonel! You shouldn't be having these thoughts about your boss! Besides, she will be long gone in a year, while I still have three more years here. I have basically no chance with her. She sits down and I know I've been staring too long. I quickly jump back into the world my friends are in rather than my world about our boss. Luckily, Christina, Zeke, Uriah, Will, Lynn, Marlene, Shauna, and I were all assigned to Iraq. We don't have to say goodbye.

The bell rings, signalling the arrival of the planes and we all quickly sip the last of our coffee and swing our bag on our right shoulder. Order is necessary. I don't know where everyone else was assigned, but everyone got an assignment.

We board the plane in a single file fashion and somehow, I end up last. The back of the plane is filled first so I wind up in seat 1A. No one else sits on my row. I lean against the window and peer at the compound. It looks peaceful. That is, until I see a small figure running towards us. Like legit sprinting. As the person gets closer I realize it's Colonel Prior. Why is she late?

The pilot steps out to talk with her before nodding and walking back up the steps with the Colonel at his heels. She boards the plane and sticks her backpack in the overhead compartment above my row. She slides in beside me.

"Why were you late?" I ask quietly. No one else knows about our informal friendship, and I'm not about to announce it to the world.

"Change of course, bad weather was ahead on the old route. I was pulled aside and told to let the pilot know." She explains in a hushed voice. The pilot then comes over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard your flight to Iraq, we will have to take a longer route than planned, due to unsafe weather. This will delay us for about two hours. Please make sure you are buckled in and follow all safety precautions. Sit back and enjoy the flight."

The plane's engines start up and we start to drive over to the runway. The runway is clear so we start to gain speed on the straight away. I clench my eyes closed and take deep breaths. Heights. I hate heights. I feel the plane lift off the ground and i clench the arm rests for dear life. Suddenly, A smaller hand slips into one of my own and it comforts me. She intertwines our fingers and I feel my heart start to beat harder, and it's not because of the heights. A pleasurable warmth spreads through my body. I raise my eyebrow at her.

All she says is, "What are friends for?" Right. _Friends_.

**End note:**

**Hello! I'm not even going to explain myself for not updating this time, I'm sure yall can guess.**

**I hope yall are having a fantastic day!**

**Please let me know on what you thought about this chapter! Pros/cons? I would love to know!**

**Thank you so much!**


End file.
